Safety C.J. Smith, Nebraska’s first commit of the Scott Frost era, has signed with the Huskers. He committed on Dec. 10, 2017, but passed on signing in the early signing period and instead put pen to paper Wednesday.

A 3-star prospect in the 247Sports composite, Smith originally committed to the Florida Gators on March 28 of last year. He de-committed on July 5 and went on a series of official visits. While Smith stayed interested in Florida, he was also in contact with Frost. When Frost left Central Florida for Nebraska, Smith quickly scheduled a visit to Lincoln and the rest is history.

National Signing Day puts an end to a wild ride for Smith, who is ready for the next chapter and to show what he can bring to the Huskers.

“[I’m looking forward to] starting to make history and putting Nebraska’s name more out there,” Smith told the Palm Beach Post recently.

Player breakdown

How he fits in: Nebraska’s secondary needs a lot of attention, an issue Frost & Co. quickly went to work to address. Smith’s commitment certainly improves the secondary for the 2018 class.

Smith is a big safety with great length. He could play either free or strong safety for the Huskers, and also played at nickel at times in high school. If need be, he could eventually move to linebacker with his size.

Player evaluation: “Measuring in at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Smith is a rangy ball hawk that checks off nearly all of the boxes when it comes to the free safety position in today’s day and age of college football. The ball skills are obvious after racking up near double-digit interceptions in 2015, but when you add his intriguing size and frame into the equation, it’s really no surprise that the nation’s elite programs are pushing hard for his services. Smith covers a significant amount of ground in the back end, but must continue to work on his tackling ability and playing with toughness.” — 247Sports